To Hiland Park VFD After i reviewed what i posted i realized i was putting Your FF and FD down and i am sorry for doing so.

communism? hah! i’m talking about sharing for the sake of increasing safety.  communism? not even close, but nice try.

“.. share the wealth”
carefull screenname25, you are absolutely correct, that is the most unamerican thing i’ve ever heard because sharing the wealth is the principal guideline of communism.You should also add share the burden because the only area to get a tax hike was UNincorporated Bay Co. not ALL bay co.

i dont mind the idea because i understand how governments work.  of course some of that money goes elsewhere in the county.  people arent supposed to have protection just because they dont generate the same amount of taxes? thats the most un-american thing ive ever heard. share the wealth and make the county safer in all areas.

i think i’m dont here i’ll talk to yall on the next Big event

Not bad at all but you just don’t shut down the volunteers to bring in career, after 37 years of coverage.only to collect more taxes and funnel outside of where i live.That’s like someone building a house next to yours, and having yours demolished and asking you to pay for his new house’s upkeep, but you need to send the money to his nephew in Indiana. You still like that idea?

sounds to me that the county is growing and is trying to give a huge group of taxpayers what they desearve.  in this case 24/7 fire protection. y is that so bad?

Not bickering, only stating facts instead of lies being posted. As far as all Vol chiefs getting together and so on, we at one point and time did have meaningful meetings in which we put forth each departments and communities needs because we are all different, we agreed or disagreed on county policies and our voices represented and were taken for the good it was intended to be, but for 3 years now the county has tried to assimilate and control all by dismantling the progress that was made and instead of furthering good, we have fallen backwards,  as of 2010 they are removing the office of Chiefs from every county owned departments bypassing each incorporated board of directors,in an attempt to control voices, but the only thing it does is take away the contact from each community’s needs and further endanger it because as i’ve said, we are all different. All this is done only to get more taxes, because in the end, thats what its all about.

I kinda agree, i think that the vol of this county need to get together and discuss the issues that vol may have, instead of airing the “dirty laundry” on this site. organize and appoint like a president, someone that can take issues to mark, or whomever the chief is. if there is an issue within the station that the vol works, the issue can be taken to the chief of that station.

WILL ALL BAY COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER PLEASE STOP BICKERING WITH ONE ANOTHER ON A PUBLIC FORUM! ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS MAKE THE ENTIRE DEPT. LOOK BAD IN THE PUBLIC EYE!  This story is from October 10th and you ladies are still trying to “one up” each other. The average Bay County citizen who reads this story is informed and comforted to know that when an emergency arises, whether he lives in the Sand Hills or in Bay Point, that his family and property will be protected by a combination Fire Dept. working together to achieve a common goal. That is until he reads the comments section and realizes he has trusted his safety to a bunch of children who would rather fight with each other than work together. If I’m that citizen reading this, do you think that I’m happy to give you my tax dollars?  How do you think I’ll vote on the next fire tax? Drop your pride boys. Volunteers, respect the career guys.  Career guys, respect the volunteers. Bay County deserves it.

AND we do have and have had people to drive our tanker and engine so what farwestender is saying is full of flies.AND without accidents or mishaps. fact is in driver training conducted by the county West End is always in top five. I just don’t see the point of driving a tanker or engine to a medical call, when we have a RESCUE vehicle and Chief vehicle with full medical capabilities and less chances of mishaps by taking an elephant to an ant pile.Speak your mind according to facts, not to make believe, follow up your statements with facts, not fictions. Farwestender seems like someone who has been kicked out of D-4. He’s definitely not a West ender, just a hater.

West End owns all it’s vehicles and property including buildings, except for the state owned brush truck.

Do ya’ll buys those trucks or did the county buy them at station 4?

PS- to those whom seem happy that the county is building a fire dept on the West end, nothing is free, it’s all about the green. I want to see your faces when the county commissioners ask to raise your taxes again to cover the budget for the new dept, only to funnel more money to other districts, more than what they funnel now.Unincorporated west end had their taxes raised, but for the third year in a row, West end Volunteer is the LOWEST budgeted station out of the entire county, $29,000.00 a year.BUT, the unmaned and 0 rostered Youngstown station that cost million plus to build( only to run off all its dedicated volunteers and turn it into a storage shed)for the second year in a row gets over $100,000.00 budget.Fact is the West end has been protected by it’s volunteers since 1972 with a good clean record of saving lives and property with the sole support of the West End community. Oh yes, by the way, on a medical call it’s kinda useless to bring lots of water, so NO to tanker or eng

““R-408 and Chief 4 generally do respond to most of their calls. But in the not so distant past, they haven’t.”“
I hate to disagree but since you think you seem to posses knowledge then lets get the facts right, from the county record, so please check it, in the top 5 responders for the entire county fire service, career and volunteer, number 1, 2, and 4 were from West End Volunteer Fire Dept.I repeat, number 1, 2, and 4th top responders belonged to D-4. As far as for T-405, it was only sent to Dothan because I, the chief, DEMANDED it so. It had been to fleet 5 times and they sent it twice to another local shop for the same problem and they insisted to keep replacing the same parts only to make it worse,to the point of extreme mechanical failure, tons of money thrown out the window, Dothan found it almost caught on fire because the entire time the problem was wires burning under the dash, physically burning on a fire truck.Their exact words ” Bay county needs a better mechanic”

I think that the county still owns it, because today i heard it going to the county yard for servicing like engine 5 and brush 19 both do.

I’m honestly not sure. That transaction was happening just as I was coming onto the fire dept back in 2004. I’m not sure if the County owns that truck and it’s leased to Callaway, or if it was owned by Thomas Drive and it was given / sold to Callaway.  It was our E-201, and it is the engine that E-202 replaced.

So who owns Callaway Engine 4? It’s old Thomas drive truck just like 301 was that the engine that 202 replaced?

Engine 205’s tank is NOT 2500 gallons. It is 1500. Engine 202 wasn’t purchased “to support the ladder”. When the order was getting placed, we were getting a new engine and a new rescue. Once 101 “Dragon Tamer” was wrecked, an option was exercised to purchase an additional engine. Thomas Drive VFD still owns E-301, so it can’t be “given” to anyone, unless we decide to give it, and I doubt that’s going to happen. R-408 and Chief 4 generally do respond to most of their calls. But in the not so distant past, they haven’t. If they’re working to better or improve their response capability, I commend them. However, actions speak louder than words. It is the priority of the county’s and fleet maintenance to ensure that first run engines are in service. Trust me, Fleet maintenance isn’t the fastest, and if they can’t do it, they send it out to someone who can. Look at T-405, it had electrical issues, fleet couldn’t fix it, so they sent it to Dothan. (I believe) So that claim is unsubstantiated

Ok well i must have misunderstood about 205,but on the voluneers at 14. Yes i too see them having they’re meeting like always but the Chief up there said that they can’t respond to fires or anything i was just going by what he said. Are you talking to me about putting down FFs? Cause i wasent meaning to. And i think that the county should have never formed the department,i can understand that it is a young department still but i think it would be better.

no i do not camp out on bbr live close enough to see it

I hear med call for D-4 and i hear Rescue 408 respond alot and i think D4 bought the tank i’m not sure but i’ll find out.102 202 you could get any where a north battalion engine can.there are Volunteers at Hiland park when we went past D-14 on Tuesdays there where Volunteers there for the meeting E-205 is still 2500 D7 has to work on not taking the wall at the station . If you not a FF why are you talking Stuff and putting Fire Fighter down .Every one just don’t get started on Dist11

Wow, this has gotten heated…

By the way farwestender…...go to newsherald.com to the article online about the school bus accident today. Hmmmmm and just how did the big yellow truck get there if noone is qualified to drive? If they never go anywhere or do anything?  Did you look? I will say it again….there is a picture of a big yellow firetruck! Which happens to be from WEVFD!!!!!!!!

Farwestender man you really have a problem to be on here calling someone a jerk.What do you do camp out on back beach road in your beach chair waiting?  Why are you so bitter? Yes as a matter of fact we do see the trucks out and about in our community going to calls. We have seen them on accident scenes(today even), and other calls. WEVFD is out there you are just blind. Ask those people in the community whom lives were saved and homes etc. It is not for lack of trying as they do everything they possibly can to save lives and homes etc. How can you knock down humans who are doing humanitarian acts and giving such efforts? I will pray that you loose the bitterness and attitude because we live in an awesome community with wonderful people all around us!